The Most Sacred and Mighty Dominion of Stars
WELCOME TO HAMSTER-BUILDER The Most Sacred and Mighty Dominion of Stars is a rapidly expanding space empire, which refers to all alien species as abominations (naturally). It is not a particularly happy place to live, as it is VERY warlike society, where the only true virtues are strength and duty. All facets of society revolve around the service of the leader of The Most Sacred and Mighty Dominion of Stars (All abbreviations are considered blasphemous, and will be treated as such by the Protectors), the Matriarch, and the execution of her Will. Very few members of society have actually seen the Matriarch, or know anyone who has, but all revere her as the Mother of All. In reality, the Matriarch is actually five sisters, who take turns with public appearances. As their mother did before them, they rule The Most Sacred and Mighty Dominion of Stars, and have plans to expand their people to the entire galaxy. One more thing: the average height of a citizen of The Most Sacred and Mighty Dominion of Stars (commonly called a peasant) is approximately 3 inches. Now while they may be tiny, The Most Sacred and Mighty Dominion of Stars does not suffer enemies to live. Through the usual rigmarole of genetic enhancement and technology, The Most Powerful and Merciful Order of Star Warriors serve as The Most Sacred and Mighty Dominion of Stars’ sword. They lead strike missions against abominations, and occasionally against blasphemous insurrectionists in the colonies. Their squads, commonly known as Wings, are capable of just about any mission they are assigned. The current commander of The Most Powerful and Merciful Order of Star Warriors is The Most Gentle and Peaceable High Bloodmaster Guisaner. Deep in the pre-history of The Most Sacred and Mighty Dominion of Stars, there was another race of tiny, adorable, fuzzy little rodent on the homeworld of Phodopus. These little fellows had tails, however, and as such were alien and therefore abomination. The resulting war lasted for millennia, until finally the last tailed abomination was purged. Even to this day, the peasants and Warriors of The Most Sacred and Mighty Dominion of Stars harbor a special hatred and distrust of those with tails. Finally, in the shadows lurks the shield to The Most Powerful and Merciful Order of Star Warriors’ sword. The Most Noble and Forthright Order of Protectors. The Most Noble and Forthright Order of Protectors are the police and guardians of the peasants, even if they must occasionally be guarded against themselves. The Most Sacred and Mighty Dominion of Stars does not have the patience to deal with treason, and as such The Most Noble and Forthright Order of Protectors’ primary job is the root out this corruption at any cost. The Most Noble and Forthright Order of Protectors is currently led by The Truly Benevolent and Caring Chief Protector Balimnos. Intro Story The blood-slicked deck plates were the only reason Arteino was alive. The second of the abominations that had massacred the rest of his wing towered above the beleaguered Star Warrior, yet it could not simply lunge at him as it had the others. If it did, it would join its brother, slumped next to Arteino, a gaping hole seared through its…chest? Carapace? What was the proper terminology for this monsters anatomy? Wathever it was, it had tried to shred him as well, but had learned quickly what effect a slippery deck plate can have. Distantly, he was aware of the remains of his former Wingmates, his steady pacing brushing against pieces of armor and flesh. His whiskers twitched involuntarily. Barely more than pups, ''he mused, never taking his eyes off the abomination in front of him. ''And the fools still thought to fight these things alone? ''A noise above caused Arteino to snap up, his warp-cannon already firing. The noise was deafening, even through the filters of his armor, but the veteran barely noticed. Eyes frantically scanning for the source, he was rewarded with the sight of a nearly obliterated section of Warrior armor. Puzzling. All the other Warriors were dead, so how could-? Realization flooded into the veterans mind, and a chill swept through him from ears to hindquarters. Spinning back around, he watched as the first abomination rose again, its wound no longer a yawning maw in its center, its tissue re-knitting back together. Its three yellow eyes glittered with malice as it lowered the claw-hand that had thrown the offending armor. Arteino slowly retreated. The shuttle was nearby, and all he had to do was get to it. From there, he could trigger the contingency plan and-Suddenly, Arteino found his back had run into something. Something that most definitely was not a hull plate. Flexing his paw nervously, he took a single breath. Whipping around, he slashed the fire-claw on his left gauntlet at the third abomination that had so nearly managed to catch him off-guard. With a gurgling shriek, it recoiled, its wounds igniting as the flame seed his claws carried took root. With a last glance at the pathetic pups who had died without spilling blood, Arteino abandoned the pretense of staying to fight. Sprinting past the blazing abomination, he ran as fast as his legs would carry him to the airlock where his craft was docked. Behind him, he could hear the other two squalling as they tried to spring after him, only to slip and fall. He could dimly hear someone giggling maniacally at the sound, as his tired muscles strained to propel his flight forward. All around him, he could hear noises coming from the derelict cruiser. It sounded like the whole ship had suddenly become a squalling, screaming, chittering nightmare. And that nightmare was converging on him. The warp-cannon fell to the deck, abandoned in his wake. The giggling grew louder and more frantic. Smashing through the door to the airlock, Arteino felt his gauntlets scrabbling desperately to open the door. Safety was but inches away. The giggling had become full on laughter now, a howling gale added to the cacophony surrounded him. The door flew open, and Arteino fell over himself trying to get in, sealing the door behind him. Piling into the pilots seat, he started up the engines, flashing a distress call and a summary of the mission report back to Phodopus. He leaned back into the contours of the chair, reaching up to pull his helmet off. As his small, neatly folded ears came free, he realized that the laughter had continued to swell around him. No matter, he thought, as his furry snout twitched and relaxed. Matriarch be praised, he was going to be just fi- *''Wham* The shuttle jerked in its mooring as something hit it from the outside. The laughter choked off into a sob as his throat caught. He could see what it was on the external vid-sensor. A dozen of the abominations had flown out of the holes in the derelicts hull, and had latched on to his shuttle. Even as this sight registered, Arteino fancied he could hear them chewing their way through the outer layer of his plating. He stared at the console in front of him, and sent off one final message. Then, resealing his helmet, he powered his claw, readied his armors contingency, and turned. His work was not yet done. The Matriarchs Will would be served.